13. Do a spring clean

I have shedded layers of myself this past couple of months. I have focused a lot of my energy on decluttering my home one bit at a time. I have filled bags and bags with clothes and things that no longer hold meaning in my life. Things that I couldn’t even remember why I held on to begin with.

I am lowkey a hoarder. Not the kind of hoarder that deserves a television show but I defintely have a problem holding on the things for no particular reason. I believe my problem is, I add sentimental value to things. Clothes are probably the worst. I don’t want to give away a sweater that doesn’t quite fit me right anymore because my mom got if for me three Christmases ago or I don’t want to get rid of an old tee shirt because I got it on a family trip a couple of summers ago. Don’t get me started on my daughter’s baby clothes, yikes. Those are hard to let go.

Aside from my epiphany about of being a clothes hoarder. I realized that I also forget about things if I haven’t seen them in a while. Like out of sight out of mind but quite literally. We have lived in our current home for the past four years and I feel like I haven’t seen a bunch of this stuff since moving in. For example, I found an old typewriter that I used to use when writing poetry that I haven’t touched in years. Do I want to get rid of it? No. Do I have a reason for keeping it? Not really, but it’s cool.

The reason for my “decluttering” is because we are about to go through a major life event that I’ll disclose at a later date. Not that my home was full of clutter to begin with, there was just a lot of unnessiary things taking up space that didn’t need to. In the process I looked up the best ways to declutter a home because I had no idea where to start. I decided to share some of those tips with you today.

Tips on Decluttering

1. Create a checklist

It’s easier to stay on task when you know exactly where you are at a glance. Create a list of your top five-ish clutter collecting areas and make them a part of your weekly cleaning routine.

2. Declutter in stages

“I find it most helpful when helping clients or organizing my own spaces to go through all items individually but quickly initially discarding anything that is trash and will not be kept or donated. Then I go through the remaining items a second time and thoughtfully consider which items I would miss if they were gone. If I’m honest with myself, if I haven’t needed it in several months then it’s out the door!”says Julie Couch of Julie Couch Interiors.

3. Do what works best for your lifestyle

“Tackling clutter is crucial to making your home work best for you and your family,” says Patty McNease, vice president of brand marketing for Homes.com. “The best approach is to find a system that works best for your lifestyle. Have limited time? Work on one room in the house each week. If you have children, focus on multi-purposed storage solutions. If your system works with you, it will work for you!”

4. Say no to multitasking

When you decide you want to declutter a room or space, set a concrete goal or timeframe and stick to it. Only do things that will help you finish what you set out to do. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted with other mini projects along the way.

5. Set mini goals

Allow yourself to declutter in stages. DOn’t try to declutter your whole home in one go! You’re likely to get overwhelmed and stop halfway through-if you’re anything like me. Instead, set smaller and more practical goals. Such as, cleaning out a drawer one Saturday morning or going through some items in your closet.

6. Clear off all of your flat surfaces and keep them clear.

The fastest way to make your home look less cluttered is to clear off all flat surfaces, like your countertops, tabletops, night stand, etc. Put everything on the floor and only add back the essentials. Then, place the rest in drawers, bins or hang them from hooks.That makes a huge aestetic difference alone.

7. Make the most out of your under ulitized storage space.

With number six being said, making use of your storage space is essiential. Out of sight, out of mind! One thing I did is purchase some of those vaccum seal bags and ‘hiding’ my bed comforters under my bed instad of having them take up space in my closets.

“Underbed storage is a life saver in small spaces. I use soft, cotton storage bags to keep my seasonal clothes under the bed. I prefer the soft bags to hard containers because I can overfill them and squish them to fit,” says Alessandra Wood, VP of Style at Modsy.

8. Make sure everything you own has a home

When you designate everything in your home to a place, it becomes easier to put things back where they belong.

9. Use baskets or clear organization containers.

With number eight being said, invest in baskets and other decor with built in storage spaces so that your space looks clean and as if everything has a place. This has become very popular in some Tiktoks.

“My number one way to keep things organized is with baskets. Are you feeling like your pantry is out of control?  Invest in some canister sets, 3 tier shelves, and don’t forget the baskets.  An organized pantry will help prevent food going stale or expiring which will save you money in the long run,” says Rene Hauck, broker/seniors real estate specialist at RE/MAX Advanced Realty.

10. Ask yourself what you actually use and ditch the rest!

This was a hard one for me. I’m really good about saying “I might use this one day” or “I might wear this one day” knowing that the one day is either far away or will never come. I have a habit of throwing them in bins then forgetting about them later.

“The most important step in any organization process is to purge anything and everything that you don’t or won’t use. Often, I see clients fill spaces with pretty, labeled bins with contents they will never need. Only, when you start with precisely the things you are 100 percent sure you that you want, does it warrant tackling a cluttered room or closet. Use your energy to simplify!” says Julie Couch of Julie Couch Interiors.

11. Repair broken items or let them go

Ahh, for me this falls right in with number ten because another thing I’ll say is. “I can fix this” or “all I need is super glue and it’ll be right back to normal, when I don’t always have the super glue handy and I plan to grab it in the next grocery run and always forget. One thing you could do is, put them in your car so you can drop them off at their respective repair shops while you’re out and about, and if you don’t get to it within 30 days, it’s time to let them go.

12. Get a second opinion

If it becomes too much or you feel like you are holding on to things more than you are letting go, get a second opinion! Invite a friend or a family member to help you go through your home or space. Maybe they can give you an idea of what is reasonable to keep and what is not.

These tips have helped me tremendously! I have found myself to be more motivated than ever to accomplish my goals! Everything is starting to look and feel better in my home now! I hope this post has been helpful to some of you!

How do you like to declutter your home? Let me know in the comments!

with love,

c.p